1. Technical Field
This application relates to a labeling machine and method for labeling containers, such as bottles or cans, especially sardine cans. Such cans are usually longer than they are high or wide, and thus utilize labels that are longer than they are wide, i.e. have a ribbon-like shape. Since such labels are relatively much longer than they are wide, it is advantageous to guide and align the labels throughout the process of affixing the labels to the cans in order to promote optimum alignment and centering on the exterior surface of the cans.
This application further relates to a labeling machine for containers such as cans, bottles and similar containers, comprising transport means for the containers, a rotating carrier with a plurality of turntables that are supported on them so that they can be driven in rotation and/or oscillation, for the supportive and centering holding of the containers with docking stations that are located in a stationary manner on the peripheral edge of the rotating carrier, and specifically at least one gluing station, a label storage station with a label magazine and a label transfer station with transfer elements, whereby the gluing station is formed of a rotating glue roller, a glue application mechanism and/or a glue spray station that can be turned on and off.
2. Background Information
Labeling machines of this type are known in a variety of models, in particular in the form of rotary or linear machines. DE-OS 84 15 528 discloses a labeling machine with a gluing and application device that holds and guides the labels, upstream of which is a magazine of individual labels with a label extractor that is located on its front side. This individual label magazine is realized in the form of a pneumatic device that uses a vacuum and can be pivoted around a vertical axis. The label extractor also has a crank drive, with which, in addition to the pivoting movement, a transfer movement for the extracted labels to a gluing device can be executed parallel to the front side of the label magazine. The further transport of the labels takes place by means of conveyor belts. DE-AS 1 102 640 and DE-GM 1 941 274 disclose gripper cylinders for the transfer of the labels to circulating glue pallets, in which the extraction and holding of the labels is accomplished either by suction nozzles in connection with mechanically acting gripper fingers or by suction nozzles alone. The labels are thereby transferred to a container by the rolling motion of the glue pallet along the rotating cylindrical surface of the container.
These systems of the prior art are preferably used to transfer standard mass-produced labels that have approximately equal height and width ratios into the labeling area. If, on the other hand, the process calls for labels in strip form that have a large ratio between the height of the label and the length of the label, these systems of the prior art cannot be used successfully.
In one method of the prior art for the handling of bands or strips in connection with their application to packages, the bands or strips are extracted individually and one after another from the stack of bands or strips, and are transported along a track that is in the shape of a circular arc and then guided along a straight-line track until they are transferred to a package that is being transported at a right angle to said track. The device required to perform this action is equipped with a band pick-up device which has a plurality of banderole carriers rotating in circulation, by means of which the bands or strips are transferred to a straight-line endless conveyor with suction strips. From there, the bands or strips are conducted to a transfer station, where they are kept ready and transferred to packages that are being transported in a transverse direction. The suction strips used are thereby used only for the transport of the bands or strips that are being processed. Suction strips of this type are not suited for labeling using labels that have a very ratio of height to width. Labels of this type have only an extremely low inherent stability and consequently cannot be processed and applied with the required level of quality using the systems described in the prior art.